The police command in Bauchi has arrested a 20-year-old man, Rabiu Adamu, for strangling a kidnapped boy.

SP Ahmed Wakil, the command’s spokesperson, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying the incident occurred at Magaman Gumau, Toro LGA.

Mr Wakil said the command had arrested a kidnap and murder suspect of 12-year-old Christopher Bala in Magaman Gumau.

“The victim, who was abducted while on an errand, is the biological son of a police officer, ASP Bala Yarima, of Gumau Division, Bauchi state police command.

“Upon receiving the report, detectives from the Toro Division immediately responded to initiate a rescue operation and apprehended the perpetrator of the act.

“Preliminary investigations, which identified 20-year-old Magama Gumau resident Rabiu Adamu as the prime suspect, revealed alarming details of extortion and blood relationship between the suspect, victim, and victim’s family,” the police command said.

The suspect eventually confessed to the kidnap and tragic murder of young Christopher and also admitted to having extorted N200,000 as ransom from the victim’s father, according to the police.

“He admitted he feared that the murdered Christopher recognised him, and so he went ahead to strangle him and buried the body in a shallow grave at Bazale village hill,” Mr Wakil said.

Mr Wakil said the command had exhumed the victim’s remains, and a postmortem was conducted at the General Hospital Toro, which confirmed the cause of death as strangulation.

He said the case had been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department for a comprehensive investigation, following a directive from police commissioner Auwal Musa.

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has revealed plans to place a bounty on those declared wanted over the killing of 17 soldiers in Okuama community, Delta State.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Buba Edward said the military was fully committed to apprehending all individuals who have been declared wanted.

In a statement, Edward said: “We will do whatever it takes to get these people, even if it means we place a bounty on them, we will do that.”

On March 14, the troops of 181 Amphibious Battalion, Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State, while on a peace mission to Okuama Community, were ambushed and killed by some irate youths.

The deceased soldiers were buried at the Military Cemetery in Abuja on Wednesday.

Shortly after their burial, the Military declared eight people, including a woman, wanted.

The suspects include: Prof. Ekpekpo Arthur, Andaowei Dennis Bakriri, Akevwru Daniel Omotegbo (a.k.a Amagben), Akata Malawa David, Sinclear Oliki, Clement Ikolo Ogenerukeywe, Reuben Baru, and Igoli Ebi.

Nationwide darkness hit Nigeria as the national grid collapsed for the fourth time in 2024 amid the Easter holidays.

According to sources from electricity distribution companies in Nigeria, the grid collapsed around 4:30 pm on Thursday.

Kunle Olubiyo, the president of Nigerian Consumer Protection Network confirmed the grid collapse.

The power went off around 4:30 pm on Thursday in Apo, Dawaki, and Utako.

The implication is that millions of homes and businesses centrally managed by Osogbo, Osun State, are without power from the national grid.

As of the time of filing this report, Discos said their feeders were rendered inactive, resulting in widespread blackouts nationwide.

As of 6 pm, the Azura Power Plant was the sole facility contributing to the grid, albeit with a modest output of 54 megawatts.

Major power generation plants such as Egbin, Afam, Geregu, Ibom Power, Jebba, Kainji, Odukpani, and Olorunsogo, among others, remained dormant, further exacerbating the electricity deficit nationwide.

The grid’s output, which stood at 2984 megawatts as of 4 pm, plunged to zero within an hour, with all 21 plants connected to the grid ceasing operations by 5 pm.

The grid had collapsed on February 4, 2024.

Nigeria’s national grid, managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, collapsed 46 times between 2017 and 2023.

Nigeria’s power sector has been challenged for decades.

The situation has exacerbated since January 2024.

The Katsina State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, said it has deployed 2,000 of its personnel to ensure a peaceful Easter celebration across the state.

The Command said undercover operatives were also deployed and placed in very sensitive locations to provide timely and actionable intelligence that would help contain the activities of miscreants in the state during the Easter celebration.

CC Jamilu A. Indabawa, the Corps Commandant for Katsina, disclosed the ‘Easter Operational Order’ to newsmen at the Command’s Headquarters in Katsina.

Indabawa tasked the deployed unit heads with the need to ensure watertight security in the state through effective coordination and deployment of the assigned personnel.

He also tasked the deployed personnel to be very vigilant, diligent, and professional, harping on the need for synergy with other security agencies in ensuring safety and security in the state.

While extending felicitation to Christian faithful in the state, Indabawa enjoined the general public to report any suspicious movement of persons or items to the nearest NSCDC office.

The rescued Kuriga Students have been united with their families at a reception at Katuru Road in the State Capital, by the Kaduna State Government.

The rescued students and their families expressed gratitude to the governor for giving their quest for freedom relentless attention and effort.

Represented at the event by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Abdulkadir Meyere, Governor Uba Sani expressed the administration’s determination to ensure the freed pupils study up to university and urged the parents to remain steadfast in prayers for their children’s safety.

Idris Abdullahi ( Madakin Kuriga), the representative of the Kuriga community, expressed gratitude to the Governor of the State for “giving his all, to freeing our children and consistently consoling us in moments of tensions, until formal handing over of our children”.

He also hailed the government for paying sufficient attention to the royal fathers of the community through continued strategic meetings and a series of needed support, including palliatives and prayed that the Kuriga kidnapped students should be the last of such a very tragic incident.

He also extended gratitude to Governor Uba Sani, for not resting until their children breathed the air of freedom and commended his steadfastness and the cooperation of President Bola Tinubu, the NSA – Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa and other service chiefs for their professional execution towards ensuring the release of the children.

The Commissioner for Social Welfare, Hajiya Rabi Salisu, on her part, expressed joy over the release of the pupils and noted that Governor Uba Sani’s wish to take the freed pupils to Aso Rock Villa shortly would be great.

Representative of the male students, Suleman Lawal, said it was with utmost joy that they recall the efforts of the President, service chiefs and the governor for their release.

On her part, a representative of the female students, Aisha Muhammad, expressed happiness with the fatherly role the government officials played tirelessly to ensure they returned home unharmed.

The handing over of the 137 students to their parents by the State government came about 48 hours after the psycho-social process as directed by Governor Uba Sani, to determine the risk of trauma and physical health challenges, if any, amongst the freed victims ahead of the handover.

They were also hosted to a special Ramadan dinner at the Government House, Kaduna, ahead of the formal reunification with their parents.

The SSG was also joined by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Malam Sani Liman Kila, and commissioners of Internal Security and Human Services, Samuel Aruwan, and Hajiya Rabi Salisu among others.

The Nigerian Army has declared Eight persons wanted in connection with the killing of 17 soldiers in the Okuama community in Delta state.

The Nigerian Army disclosed this in its official X handle on Thursday.

The persons declared wanted include seven men and one woman.

Full list:They are Akevwru Daniel Omotegbono, Prof Ekpekpo Arthur, Andaowei Dennis Bakriki, Igoli Ebi (female), Akata Malawa David, Sinclear Oliki, Clement Ikolo Oghenerukevwe and Reuben Baru.

On Wednesday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, together with other dignitaries, laid to rest the 17 military personnel killed in Okuama community in Delta on March 14.

The bodies of two of the workers who went missing when a bridge in Baltimore collapsed after a cargo ship crashed into it have been recovered, authorities said on Wednesday.

A cargo ship rammed into one of the support pillars of the four-lane, 2.5-kilometre-long Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, about 62 kilometres north-east of Washington, around 1:30 am (0530 GMT) on Tuesday morning, causing its collapse.

Maryland State Police’s Roland Butler said that on Wednesday at about 10 am divers located a red pickup truck about 7 metres deep and found the bodies of two victims trapped in the vehicle.

They were identified a 35-year-old Mexico national and a 26-year-old Guatemala national.

Mr Butler also said that authorities would be moving from recovery mode to a salvage operation in a press conference on Wednesday.

“Because of the superstructure surrounding what we believe were the vehicles and the amount of concrete and debris, divers are no longer able to safely navigate and operate around that,” Mr Butler said.

“We have exhausted all search efforts.”On Tuesday the U.S. Coast Guard had said that the active search for survivors would be suspended due to the low-water temperature and adverse conditions.

Six construction workers who went missing when the bridge collapsed were all presumed dead.

Mr Butler confirmed that the victims were from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Late on Tuesday, Guatemala had said that two of its citizens, aged 26 and 35, had been missing since the accident.

The immigrant organisation Casa announced that one of its members was also missing.

He was a father of three from El Salvador who had been living in Maryland for more than 19 years.

He went to work on Monday and did not return home.

Citing the Mexican consul in Washington, Rafael Laveaga, U.S. media outlet CNN reported that Mexican citizens were also missing.

It is not known how many. (We) know our people are involved,” Laveaga told journalists.

“It was a crew who was repairing parts of the.., I think potholes on the bridge, and they’re the ones who are going to build the bridge again – the Latinos.”

According to Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld, eight construction workers were on the bridge repairing potholes at the time of the accident. Two people were rescued.

According to initial findings, there was a problem with the ship’s power supply before the accident.

The crew managed to inform the authorities by distress signal that they had lost control of the ship, the U.S. authorities said.

This apparently enabled officials on land to stop traffic and prevent more cars from reaching the bridge.

The federal government has declared March 29 and April 1 public holidays to mark the Easter celebration.

This was announced in a statement by the permanent secretary of the interior ministry, Aishetu Ndayako, on Wednesday.

Interior minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo made the declaration on behalf of the federal government.

Mr Tunji-Ojo urged Christians and all Nigerians to emulate the sacrifice and love displayed by Jesus Christ in dying for man’s redemption.

The minister noted that Easter, beyond its religious significance, promoted the values of love, forgiveness, and compassion, which were essential for social cohesion and harmony.

He called on Christians to imbibe these virtues, which could positively impact Nigeria’s socio-economic development by fostering unity, reducing conflicts, and encouraging cooperation among Nigerians.

Mr Tunji-Ojo further urged Nigerians to show acts of charity and generosity to help alleviate the material conditions of the less privileged amongst them.

He said this was in tandem with the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

He wished Christians at home and abroad a happy and blissful Easter celebration.

The minister also called on Nigerians to support Mr Tinubu’s government in its determination to bring sustainable development and prosperity to all.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has accused youths of Okuama community in Delta State of removing vital body parts of the 17 slain soldiers.

Lagbaja disclosed that the 17 soldiers killed in Okuama community in Delta State were part of the finest men of the Nigerian Army.

The Army chief said their body parts were dismembered and scattered all over Okuama community.

Speaking during the burial of the slain 17 soldiers at the Military Cemetery in Abuja on Wednesday, Lagbaja said: “As a profession that deals with life and death, when soldiers die in the hands of the enemies of the state, we take it as dying for what the nation considers as a just cause, but when they are gruesomely murdered by the very people they are trained to protect, it is highly demoralizing.

“It’s no longer news that 17 of the Nigerian Army’s finest men were murdered in Okuama while on a legitimate peacekeeping mission.

“It grieves my heart that it took our search and recovery effort over 72 hours to recover some vital organs, the decapitated and disembowelled bodies of my men that were scattered all over the Okuama community by the youths.

“I consider it the most barbaric attack any citizen or community can commit against the state, and I must place on record that a lot of restraint has been exercised in our recovery effort for missing arms, ammunition, other equipment and body parts.

“The Nigerian Army will not be deterred by setbacks such as that of Okuama community.

“The Nigerian Army in conjunction with sister security agencies, is committed to bringing the perpetrators to book and recover all arms taken from the murdered troops.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has recovered N7.8 million as part of stolen funds from the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited, BIPC.

This was disclosed by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BIPC, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha Jr. on Tuesday in his office in Makurdi.

Asemakaha said the draft cheque of the money has been handed over to BIPC, adding that more recoveries were underway.

He said the recovery of funds for the Benue Investment and Property Company was a positive step in strengthening the integrity of the agency and promoting a culture of accountability under the leadership of His Excellency Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia.

He lauded the EFCC for their proactive action, which is a sign of their effectiveness in combating fraudulent activities of corrupt officials.

Asemakaha commended the anti-graft agency for their professionalism and commitment to upholding justice and combating financial crime.

“This successful recovery underscores the importance of robust investigative procedures and the commitment to upholding integrity in financial transactions,” he stated.

Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office says 18 Palestinians have been killed while trying to collect desperately-needed aid that was airdropped over northern Gaza.

Twelve people drowned when they went into the sea to retrieve food packages, the other six were trampled to death in “stampedes” when other aid packages landed on the ground, a statement said.

It calls for “an immediate end” to airdrops, calling them “offensive, wrong, inappropriate and useless”.

Video, obtained by Reuters, has emerged of Palestinians rushing to the coast after aid was dropped at a beach near the northern town of Beit Lahia on Monday.

It shows people running as dozens of aid packages attached to parachutes float down near the coast.

Israel – which is under pressure to allow more aid into Gaza via land – says it facilitated airdrops of 159 one-tonne packages of aid over northern Gaza on Monday.

The US says two C-17 aircraft dropped 46,000 “meals ready to eat” (MREs) over the north on Monday, while the UK says one of its A400M aircraft dropped 10 tonnes of water, rice, cooking oil, flour, tinned goods and baby formula.

Humanitarian organisations have warned that airdrops cannot meet the soaring need for food and the strategy has sparked considerable discussion.

Georgia created history by reaching their first major tournament with a penalty shootout win over Greece in their Euro 2024 play-off.

Home substitute Nika Kvekveskiri scored the winning penalty, squeezing his effort past the outstretched arm of Greece keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.

The 4-2 shootout success, which came after a tight and tense goalless draw, sparked joyous scenes in Tbilisi.

Georgian supporters ran on to the pitch to congratulate their players, having seen the national side – which played its first match in 1990 when still part of the Soviet Union – qualify for a major tournament at the 15th attempt.

Fans climbed on the crossbar of one of the goals and kneeled on the pitch in celebration.

Georgia will join Turkey, Portugal and the Czech Republic in Group F at this summer’s finals.

A cagey match, which saw only one shot on target in normal time, eventually burst into life in the extra period.

Greece defender Konstantinos Mavropanos hit the home bar with a powerful header from a corner, but a sloppy pass from the West Ham player seconds later let Georgia in.

Georges Mikautadze raced through before being forced out wide, but his cutback found Zuriko Davitashvili, whose low shot was well saved by visiting keeper Vlachodimos.

Penalties were needed to separate the teams and Lech Poznan midfielder Kvekveskiri, 31, converted the decisive one after Greece’s Giorgos Giakoumakis put his spot-kick wide.

The Euro 2024 finals will begin on Friday, 14 June at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

The tournament concludes on Sunday, 14 July, with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

Victoria Azarenka continued her bid for a fourth Miami Open title with victory over Yulia Putintseva to set up a semi-final encounter with Elena Rybakina.

The Belarusian 27th seed, who won her last title at Miami Gardens in 2016, needed almost three hours to claim a 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-3 win against Putintseva.

There was a 45-minute stoppage in the opening set due to a power outage.

Meanwhile, world number four Rybakina beat Greek eighth seed Maria Sakkari 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-4.

Rybakina, who is the highest ranked women’s player remaining in the tournament, lost in last year’s final to the Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova.

The Kazakh had two match points in the second set on Tuesday but Sakkari fought back and won the tiebreaker to force a decider.

A single break of serve in the third set was enough for Rybakina to wrap up the victory after a gruelling two hours and 48 minutes.

“I have no words because I’m so tired but I’m really happy with the win,” Rybakina, 24, said.

After the power outage to electronic line-calling system caused the delay in Azarenka’s match, the , 34-year-old saved three set points before clinching the first-set tiebreak against Putintseva.

The unseeded Kazakh dominated the second set, but dropped serve twice in the third to allow Azarenka, who defeated Britain’s Katie Boulter in the fourth round, to reach a first semi-final in Miami since 2018.

On the other side of the draw, American fifth seed Jessica Pegula will face Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova for a place in the last four, while Caroline Garcia of France takes on American Danielle Collins.

The Australian government has watered down its proposed vehicle emission standards amid pressure from car manufacturers.

On Tuesday, Chris Bowen, the minister for energy and climate change, and Catherine King, transport minister, announced changes to fuel efficiency legislation to be introduced to parliament on Wednesday.

It came one month after Mr Bowen unveiled the government’s proposal for Australia’s first New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, which would come into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

Under the changes, the average emissions of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) would need to be reduced by 50 per cent by 2029.

It is for manufacturers to avoid penalties from the 60 per cent target set in February.

New passenger vehicles (will remain subject to the 60 per cent target, but some high-emitting large sports utility vehicle models will be reclassified from PVs to LCVs.

Mr Bowen said this at a news conference alongside Ms King and representatives from Toyota, Hyundai, Tesla, the Electric Vehicle Council and the Motor Trades Association of Australia.

Mr Bowen said the government had found a compromise that accounts for the concerns of the industry.

The government promised to implement fuel standards in the lead-up to the 2022 general election but faced pushback from the automotive industry after detailing the policy in February.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the sector’s peak body, argued that the proposal would raise the price of some car models by thousands of dollars.

Early in March, Tesla quit the FCAI over the organisation’s campaign against the vehicle efficiency standard, but Tesla Australia representative Sam McLean said on Tuesday that the revised policy was a solid compromise.

At least 11 bodies believed to be refugees have been found in Indonesian waters near the country’s Aceh Province since Saturday, local media and rescuers said on Tuesday.

The discovery of the bodies came after a boat carrying over 100 people sank in Aceh waters last week.

More than 75 refugees have been rescued, but dozens are reportedly missing.Ibnu Harris Al Hussain, chief of Banda Aceh Search and Rescue Agency of Aceh Province, said that the agency retrieved six female bodies on Monday after receiving information from local fishermen.

“We retrieved as many as 10 bodies between Saturday and Monday,’’ Mr Hussain said.

Mr Hussain added that another body was found in West Aceh regency. All bodies have been buried in local cemeteries.

Meanwhile, survivors have been sent to the country’s immigration department and are currently taking shelters in West Aceh.

A former president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), Chen Xuyuan, has been sentenced to life in prison for bribery, according to the country’s state media.

In January, he pleaded guilty to taking bribes worth a total of 81 million yuan ($11.2m; £8.9m).

An anti-corruption crackdown led by President Xi Jinping has cut through sport, banking and the military.

In football, more than a dozen coaches and players have been investigated.

The trial at the Intermediate People’s Court of Huangshi in central China revealed Chen’s illicit activities from 2010 to 2023, which included his earlier role as the president and chairman of Shanghai International Port Group.

Prosecutors said Chen accepted money and valuables in exchange for his help with obtaining project contracts and arranging sporting events.

The court ruling said he had brought “tremendous damage” to China’s football cause, according to the state-controlled Xinhua news agency.

State media also said that three other senior football officials were sentenced on Tuesday to between eight and 14 years in prison for corruption.

Earlier this year, an ex-Everton midfielder and former head coach of China’s national men’s soccer team, Li Tie, confessed to fixing matches and offering bribes to people, including Chen, to get China’s top coaching job.

China’s foreign ministry also confirmed that South Korea’s Son Jun-ho, who played for Shandong Taishan, was held in police custody in relation to a bribery case. South Korea’s foreign ministry said this week that he had been released from detention.

In the past President Xi has voiced his ambition to turn China into a major footballing nation. In 2011, he spoke of his ‘three wishes’ for Chinese football: to qualify for the World Cup again, to host the tournament and to one day win the trophy.

Over the past decade, clubs in China’s Super League have spent huge sums of money to attract some of the world’s top players, including Brazilian midfielder Oscar, former Argentina forward Carlos Tevez and Belgian international Axel Witsel.

However, that resulted in clubs piling up debts and the CFA announced a salary cap in 2020.

At the time, it said the move was aimed to focus investment on developing homegrown talent instead of importing international stars.

Now, only a small number of foreign players remain in the league.Recent detentions of major football figures have dealt another setback to the country’s football ambitions.

Despite these problems, domestic football is still popular in China and Mr Chen’s corruption scandal shocked fans.

The landmark Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US city of Baltimore has collapsed after a cargo ship collided with it.

Several vehicles that were crossing the bridge, which is more than 2.6km (1.6 miles) long, plunged into the waters of the Patapsco River.

As many as 20 people are believed to be in the water, according to Baltimore fire department.

Emergency personnel rushed to the scene and rescue operations are under way.

City officials say that at around 01:30 local time (05:30 GMT) a ship struck a column on the 47-year-old bridge, causing it to collapse.

A number of vehicles, including “one the size of a tractor-trailer” plunged into the water below, they added.

The container ship, named by ship tracking data as the Singapore-flagged Dali, was on its way to Colombo in Sri Lanka.

On marine radars, it departed from the terminal at Port Breeze at around 00:45.

The massive rescue operation is being led by Baltimore fire department, the US Coastguard and other agencies from the state of Maryland.

The head of communications for Baltimore fire department, Kevin Cartwright, described the situation as a “dire emergency”.

“Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” he said, referring to those believed to be in the water.

Mr Cartwright said there were “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge”, creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency rescue teams were operating cautiously as a result, amid a power cut.

Shipping company Synergy Marine Group said all crew members, including the two pilots who were aboard, had been accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries, adding that “the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined”.

A man in his 40s has been arrested in connection with the seizure of explosives, Gardaí (Irish police) have said.

Gardaí said that four “viable improvised explosive devices” were found during the search of a van in Dublin on Sunday afternoon.

The Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was requested to attend and removed the explosive devices.

During subsequent searches by in the Ballyfermot and Ronanstown areas by Gardaí, a small quantity of suspected cannabis and a scrambler bike were also seized.

The man who was arrested is currently being held in a Garda station in the Dublin area.

The suspected drugs have been sent for examination by Forensic Science Ireland.

The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the kidnapping of the Chief Imam of Iyara in Ijumu Local Government Area, Sheikh Quasim Musa, by unknown gunmen.

The Islamic cleric was reportedly Kidnapped on Monday night outside his house in Ilukpa, Iyara headquarters of the Ijumu Local Government Area.

According to sources in the community, the gunmen, who came in a commando style, started shooting sporadically before taking their victim to an unknown destination.

A family source who spoke to our correspondent under the condition of anonymity said they are yet to get any information from the kidnappers.

The family source said “Dear compatriot sons and daughters of Iyara land, it is sad to announce to you all that our community had its own share of the current insecurity bedevilling the nation on Monday 25th, March 2024.

“Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen stormed the House of the Chief Imam of Iyara land, Sheikh Quasim Musa, and kidnapped him after shooting sporadically.

“The religious leader was abducted at about 2200hrs after he came back from mosque and slept outside his house in Ilukpa, Iyara headquarters of Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

“This dastardly act is cowardice and unfortunate, happening to a Religious Leader in this Holy month of Ramadan. We use this medium to call on relevant authorities to ensure that he is released.

“You’re hereby requested to commence fervent prayers as for efforts being made to rescue him from kidnappers’ den to yield positive results in no distant time.Once again, you are all requested to pray for his safe return”.

Confirming the incident on Tuesday, the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Ovye Aya, said, “The Commissioner of Police in Kogi State has deployed tactical team, PMF, quick response unit, Divisional Police, alongside local vigilantes and other security agencies to ensure that the Man is rescued unhurt”.

The recent incident comes weeks after gunmen suspected to be kidnappers reportedly abducted a Chinese engineer and killed a yet-to-be-identified civil defence officer in the process at Obagende in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The price of Brent crude oil surged to $85.67 and the West Texas Intermediate crude rose to $80.88 per barrel, according to Reuters.

The rise is attributed to concerns over tighter global supply brought about by escalating conflict in the Middle East and between Russia and Ukraine. The shrinking U.S. rig count added to upward price pressure.

President of NS Trading, a unit of Nissan Securities, Hiroyuki Kikukawa, said: “Escalating geopolitical tension, coupled with a rise in attacks on energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine, alongside receding ceasefire hopes in the Middle East, raised concern over global oil supply.

“Falling U.S. rig count also increased worry over tighter supply,” Reuters reported that Russia struck critical infrastructure in Ukraine’s western region of Lviv with missiles early on Sunday, according to Kyiv.

It was a significant air strike that saw one Russian cruise missile briefly fly into Polish airspace, according to Warsaw.” Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Bonny Light traded at $87.46 a barrel late Friday.